Lt. Governor
Pat Quinn is Standing Up for Healthy Communities. One of his top priorities
is improving oral health.

In August
2003, Lt Governor Quinn began a statewide, community-based campaign to
promote oral health as an integral part of overall health to increase
efforts to prevent oral disease and to improve access to oral health care
for all. He joined a national event, Tour de Smiles, a trans-America bike
relay designed to raise awareness about dental problems in children.

Lt. Governor
Quinn's leadership on this issue helped secure the passage of House Bill
752, requiring a dental exam for all Kindergartners, second and sixth
graders in public or private schools. The mandate will increase awareness
of oral health needs among children in Illinois, and promote school-based
oral health care as a viable solution.

In October
2004, Quinn helped launch "Healthy Smiles Week" for rural and
inner-city communities. More than 1,000 children, many for the first time,
received preventive care through events sponsored by the state dental
schools, IFLOSS Coalition, Covering Kids & Families, Illinois Department
of Public Health, Illinois Dental Society and Oral Health America.

For his tireless advocacy of oral health, Lt. Governor Quinn was honored as the Oral Health America Advocate of the Year in 2005.